John Hathaway has set himself a goal of booking a fight with one of the UFC welterweight sensations, Rory MacDonald and Erick Silva, by the end of 2013.

Hathaway is currently awaiting his next opponent after beating John Maguire in September. He recently told ESPN that he would like the winner of Matt Brown v Mike Swick, who fight on December 8.

Another option for Hathaway is Matt Riddle, who has been vocal in his dislike of Brits. However, it is reported Riddle's next fight will be Che Mills.

Hathaway intends to step back into the Octagon around February or March, not necessarily at the London event on February 16, and he intends to make his next fight the first step towards a showdown with either MacDonald or Silva.

The welterweight duo are tipped to become the future of the 170lb weight class, and when asked about them on the ESPN UFC Podcast, Hathaway expressed a keen desire to match himself against them.

"Fighting them, it would be great, whether it be February or towards the end of next year," Hathaway said.

"I'd like to compete against Matt Brown if he beats Swick because we were meant to fight at one time when I got ill. But by the end of next year, I'd love to compete against Rory or Erick Silva."